Louis Nye

Nye was born May 1, 1913, in Hartford, Conn., where he began his career in theater before moving to New York City to enter radio. It was after a stint in the Army, where he was stationed in "a wild town" in Missouri, that he set aside dramatic roles and dove into sketch comedy. A master of voices and accents, he could go from being droll one moment to prissy the next. He could also switch effortlessly from comically evil Nazis to bumbling Russians. Already well established as one the era's hippest comics, appearing regularly on radio, in clubs and on early TV shows, Nye's chance meeting with Allen in an elevator led to his greatest success. Allen eventually hired Nye for "The Steve Allen Sho... Continue Bio >>